Reply With QuoteOne of these days I need to get a CWC diver. They definitely look the part.
Ok, so I’ve been into watches since the early 80’s and like my taste in music, much as I have broad tastes I tend to return to that era time and again for a daily wearer. So, over the years I’ve owned and flipped a lot of ‘iconic’ watches - most bought back when they were relatively inexpensive and just the current model, not necessarily ‘iconic’ - that just happened when they were discontinued!
Anyhow, I always enjoyed a dive watch, amd back then in the 80’s quartz was still sort of cool, and I had quite a few of the 1000 and 2000 series Tag Heuers which wore well, proved solid and reliable, looked good - and then they diversified into more blingy, tackier styles that ultimately led to them becoming the ‘ginger stepchild’ of the watch community! Anyhow, I digress. I’ve never tried a CWC diver, always fancied one, they look over priced and the possible ‘Walter Mitty’ thing never appealed but something just always made me curious - nearly bought Eddie’s PRS3 but couldn’t pull the trigger back in the day. I have nearly 9 inch wrists so can carry off a big Panerai and the old 16610 sub even looked a bit dainty on my wrist. Anyhow , on Saturday my new CWC diver arrived (I’m a sucker for PVD - it’s so 80’s!) and I’m blown away to be honest. I went for the light vintage lume, no doubt heresy for the military watch enthusiast - but no picture really does these justice imho. The handset and dial are so clear, the lume is just right in terms of colour and luminescence (glows like a torch for 15 mins then settles so it’s visible all night but won’t wake you up!) and it just feels so solid. Possibly the best bezel operation on any diver I’ve owned (up there with the sea dweller and the knurling is probably better with wet hands) and miles better than a Sinn U1 or a Seamaster. It just feels like a solid chunky watch, even the screw down crown works smoothly and doesn’t feel like it could ever cross thread. Anyhow here’s a couple of pics - it wears small so I’m not doing my usual trick of removing the extra NATO flap - but if you’re on the fence I really do heartily recommend a CWC! IMG_1503.jpg
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Last edited by RobDad; 1st March 2021 at 18:04.
One of these days I need to get a CWC diver. They definitely look the part.
Great choice, some may consider them overpriced but not me, a small price to pay for one of the best dive watches out there imo. I've had a couple and absolutely love my current 2004 SBS.
You picked a good one there, love the SBS with light vintage.
Your pics are showing as thumbnails btw, at least to me.
Try this site for nice and easy image hosting https://postimages.org/
Last edited by Tetlee; 1st March 2021 at 13:32.
Don’t know what’s happened to images on Tapatalk, sometimes they work and then they don’t!
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A great watch, I wish I’d never sold mine and may well get another one day.
Last edited by StuS; 1st March 2021 at 18:09.
Great choice. Mine doesn’t got worn nearly enough, but I love it and don’t think I can ever see myself letting it go. So much more special than the sum of its parts, there is just something about them
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Is that better?
Not sure about the CWC ‘coyote brown’ strap but I’ve only got about, erm, 25 NATO strap options I’ve collected over the years!
Last edited by RobDad; 1st March 2021 at 16:25.
That's better, looks superb, naturally. I have the Coyote also(well I got it for my G10 GS) and also can't decide. I've got mine on a sunny windowsill as would like it to lose the shine that it has, a duller finish would make it perfect I think.
lovely watches, but hard to pull the trigger as I feel they are quite pricey
I had an SBS about 10 years ago which I sold to fund a Sinn U1. I've regretted it ever since! I sold it for £250 which makes it an even harder pill to swallow.
My wife bought me CWC diver with an SBS bezel for our 10 year anniversary (bought from John Wall on this forum after a WTB) and it's been my daily wearer ever since. I like the fact its a bit different and doesn't look too 'tactical'. I will never sell it and love the fact that it's a 'proper' watch which I can wear 24/7 and it can so cope with just about anything I may do on a daily basis, whether it's a bit if rough and tumble at work, climbing a mountain, snorkeling in the sea or spontaneously deciding to jump in a river. Might wait until Summer before I do that last one though. I'm always tempted to stick a WTB up for an SBS but that would only mean I don't wear my current one as much.
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Last edited by Bobbyf; 9th March 2021 at 18:47.
Here are my three. The one in the middle is what I wear everyday when I get home from work.
I always thought they were very pricey, especially the quartz models, but they are a great looking diver, so I took the plunge and bought a 1983 Royal Navy Quartz. No regrets, the quality is very good and it’s one of my favourite watches.
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Could have written that post myself. Love mineOriginally Posted by RAT2410
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I've owned two (albeit none of them with the PVD case), and they are indeed great watches, reliable, effective, and extremely versatile. My one gripe is that the quartz versions only come with either no date or a day-date complication. A quartz version with simply a date window (like CWC has on some of their automatic divers) would be fantastic, as I miss the practicality of having a date feature on the no-date version but think the day-date takes up too much space on the dial.
I thought they were a bit pricey, I remember when they were about £300 - then I remembered that a brand new Rolex Submariner date was about £2000 at the time, a speed master was £1500 - so it’s all relative! - it reminds me of the early 1000 Tag Heuer series (in a good way!) really legible amd ‘just right’ - I’m getting used to the size as I have large wrists, amazing how watches have grown over the years
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I love the Bakelite bezels and the way they age on them...Could have written that post myself. Love mine
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You can never have too many CWC divers watches
Every time I see one for sale I have to stop myself buying it.
Yes they are pricey but I still think they are best bang for buck divers watch on sale today.
The quality of the tissues is a one step above the standard watches though.
Last edited by Sinnlover; 9th March 2021 at 21:58.
Unfortunately no Bakelite or ageing on mine, it’s one of the new 83 reissues. The originals are way outta my price range!
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